JanBeek

Seeking Happiness?

Are you seeking happiness? Hmmm… how’s it going?

Each morning, up in my sanctuary, one of the devotionals I read is “Turning Points.” The articles by David Jeremiah are inspiring. This month’s publication is titled, “Happiness – A Moving Target?” In his introductory article, David identifies happiness as the “bull’s-eye” on a target. He tells the story of Matthew Stutzman, the champion “Armless Archer,” who, for seven years, held the world’s record for the longest bull’s-eye shot by any archer. Yes, “Armless!” How did he do it? He shot the bow and arrow using his feet!

It’s an amazing story that points out the ability to succeed despite disabilities. The story says,

“When Matthew Stutzman was born in 1982, his birth parents put him up for adoption. At 13 months of age he was adopted by a Mennonite family in Iowa. When he was 28 years old, he took up the hobby of archery. In 2015 he broke the record for the longest bull’s-eye by any archer – 930 feet!”

Matt attributed his adoptive parents with motivating him to succeed despite his disabilities. At 43 years of age, he has transitioned to hitting a new target: competitive auto racing. David Jeremiah’s article explains that he drives race cars at 200 mph with his feet! Matt has aimed his target – the happiness of winning an auto race – high!

Using the metaphor of a target, this article by David Jeremiah explains, “The best thing about shooting a bow and arrow is that the bull’s-eye is stationary – it doesn’t move. But that is not true when it comes to hitting the bull’s-eye in life – that thing most people are aiming for. If I had to define that bull’s-eye in one word, I would call it happiness. Not money, not success, not power, not fame… but happiness. If they are being honest, most people would say that none of the other things they aim for in life – think of them as the concentric circles that radiate outward from the bull’s-eye – mean anything without happiness.”

Are you seeking happiness? Are you aiming for that joyful center bull’s-eye? The good news is that the bull’s-eye of happiness doesn’t move. Did you catch that? The Turning Point article goes on to say, “God’s best for mankind is a permanent target.” But we are warned: “The problem is that we think we can shoot for that bull’s-eye in a haphazard fashion. We think we can aim for the outer circles… pursuing the targets of this world, and gradually work our way to the center of the target where happiness is found. We think we’ll warm up to the bull’s-eye of happiness by aiming for the outer rings… thinking they will satisfy. The problem is they never do.”

Others seek happiness by collecting toys of all types and sizes.
The one with the most toys wins??

But, we all know that the one with the most toys is not the happiest. In fact, that fleeting kind of joy is so temporal that ultimately it results in the discontent of greed and selfishness. Those certainly are deterrents to real happiness!
So what does David Jeremiah write in his February 2026 Turning Points book titled, Happiness – A Moving Target?? He gives his readers a new target. It is centered in PURPOSE – God’s purpose for our lives. He concludes, “Aiming is all about avoiding distractions and blocking out those that are impossible to control.” He asks the question, “What are we missing when we miss the target God has for our life?” He suggests, “We are missing God’s will or God’s purpose for us.”

I think we all are seeking happiness. But many of us are looking in all the wrong places. Wealth… prestige… fame… toys… STOP! Trust and Obey!! Know that song? “Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Let’s sing it!

The joy He bestows is ours if we trust and obey.

Ready, Aim, Fire!

Ready? Trust God in circumstances where you might otherwise be tempted to “fire” without being “ready.” Find out what His will is for your life through prayer and meditation, Bible study, and association with others who are walking that same path, aiming at the same bull’s-eye!

Aim! Obey!! Obey what? Obey His commandments. Obey His will for your life. Aim to live your life according to God’s principles… the Ten Commandments. You know them!

Fire! Let your arrow fly to the center of the bull’s eye. “That center,” David Jeremiah writes, “is holiness… Being unholy is not consistent with being happy.We can’t miss the mark (sin) and be happy about it. We can be happy when we are trusting and obeying God. But firing also involves correction. What do we do if we miss the mark? We confess our errant action to God, restore our aim, and purpose afresh to hit the center of the target of happiness. (1 John 1:9)”

“And above all these put on love,
which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” 
– Colossians 3:14

Let us pray:
O Lord,
Let us love one another with the purity of a child.
Let us pursue happiness with the innocence of a child.
And Lord, above all, let us walk in Your Will
all the days of our lives.
Amen!

In His Love,
JanBeek